Finland and Estonia are two countries that have rich musical heritages. Finland has a long musical history that produced
composer Jean Sibelius. The Estonians are proud of their musical heritage and feel it is the one thing that kept up their
spirits and helped them to maintain their national identity during oppressive times. We will perform American
music and share in the performance of a selection or two with our hosts. We will also visit
historically significant locations in both cities, meeting and working with students of some of the local schools, and experiencing what is considered to be the best-preserved medieval city in Europe—Tallinn, Estonia.
Monday, March 10
After two flights, a bus ride, a two hour ferry ride, and another bus
ride, we've all arrived safely at our hotel in Tallinn, Estonia. The
weather here is better than we could have hoped for: sunny and in the 40s!
We had breakfast at our hotel this morning and met with the American
ambassador to Estonia and his wife, who told us some historical
information about this interesting country. This is a highly
Internet-enabled nation; they conducted their last national election via
the web!
Last night (Sunday), some of the students who arrived in the first group
(mostly Band kids) were able to take a short tour around the old city with
some of our Estonian student hosts. This morning (Monday), everyone split
into smaller groups and took a more "official" walking tour around the
fascinating medieval town center. Everything from the cobblestone streets,
to the massive limestone defensive walls, to the large houses of the
merchants of the Hanseatic League, have remained virtually intact for the
past 600 years. The 1.4 million Estonians here host over 4 million
tourists a year, and the old town of Tallinn, which, in its entirety,
comprises a UNESCO World Heritage site, is certainly one of the primary
reasons why.
We had lunch today in the old town, and students are currently on their
own, doing some shopping and sightseeing. After dinner this evening, they
will be rehearsing for the first concert, coming up tomorrow afternoon.
-- Mr. O'Toole |
